Mary Poppins Writes {Day 7}

Yesterday there was a wedding. :)

It did not include the dapper Little Man but an invisible prince from...well, I'm not quite sure where he was from... at any rate it was the event of the year and took up the entire living room!

Bailey Button spent the afternoon with us and the girls played the entire time, thankfully they're just as good at cleaning up as they are at playing together.
For supper last night, Nicole made a yummy batch of homemade mac and cheese!

Delightfully paired with grilled chicken and lots of broccoli, it was so comforting and we both agreed would make a wonderful dinner to take to a new mommy. Let us know if you'd like the recipe, we'd be more than happy to share. :)
The Bride, Wedding Coordinator, and Maid of Honor.
While they were playing, Nicole and I conquered the Chicklet's room! It was a big item on our list and such a burden was lifted when we finished. Things are now labeled and put into their proper places, the key will be keeping it that way...
After tidying up a wee bit after dinner, we headed to the park and had some good swinging and running time; the Webbs usually take the long way back home and the Chicklets were pretty worn out after that, once we came home, we dragged them through the bathtub and they dropped into their bed. Nicole and I enjoyed a nice stretch time (me with the dolphin plank and Nicole demonstrating her fascial dog--it was great.), our night cap, and the rest of this mysterious series--we were left hanging!

I know what you're thinking now, "What does 'chicklets' mean?" Well, traditionally, it's the name of a wee pack of gum that's no bigger than a nickle; you can get them for about five cents at any mexican grocery store (my personal favorite is the minty green color). It's also how my sister refers to her brood, I thought it was pretty cleaver as the chicklet gum comes in a pack of four pieces and my sister has four little ones too. Hence, chicklets. :)

Later this evening I'll be posting about our big day downtown today! Stay tuned to read about our time in the heart of the "Keep Austin Weird" city!

Mary Poppins Writes {Day 6}

{Fresh, wild lantana from the backyard, brightens the entire kitchen}

Yesterday we spent a wonderful day out in Burnet with my Grandparents and Aunt. We started the day off pretty early with muffins and eggs, then flew over to our nail appointment with my Aunt. Dom loved showing off his snake skin boots and the girls enjoyed the swivel chairs; it was a good time for visiting and enjoying each others company.

{Miss Crystal and Miss Portia}

"No, you can't stay here!"

"But, my children will starve if we're out on the streets, please, please give me shelter!"

"And then Sophie, the girl was sad."

This is how most of the afternoons go at Tita's house; out come the hat boxs full of scarves and petticoats, off go the everyday garb of a certain eight and four year old. They leave the heat of Burnet, Texas and slowly travel through the snowy streets of some far off town, wear wolves run rampant, as well as dangerous fevers. I remember similar journey's in the not too distant past: orphans on the run from devilish French soldiers with ill-intentions, crossing snake infested jungles and fighting off lunatics ten at a time.

Things always seem to be so dramatic and scary when you're decked out in scarves and old winter wear.

{Tita and Opa}

I really love this one, it really captures both of them quite well. :)

For lunch, we feasted on this perfectly delectable Asian Chicken Salad, the kale and spinach made it both nourishing and hearty; though the sesame oil can be an acquired taste, I think this salad wouldn't quite be the same without it. Tita also made some melt in your mouth quesadillas using homemade flour tortillas and gouda cheese--ah, bliss. That feast carried us well through to dinner time and we were sent home with cod and oranges. On the way home we were able to read a few chapters of The Magician's Nephew though Mia fell asleep before Queen Jadis made it back to the Ketterly Home. :)

This is my Aunt Gaby, as I've mentioned before, she does a wonderful job at many things and pays close attention to details. She lathered up Nicole with a relaxing pedicure and all was well again with our toes!

If you're ever in need of some fun, girly treatment, Nicole and I found Reflections Day Spa and Salon a wonderful place to be! In addition to beauty products, they carry some fun boutique items like redneck wine glasses (you've gotta see them, it's pretty funny).

And here are the Blueberry Almond Muffins we made Monday night and baked Tuesday morning! America's Test Kitchen was right again and the muffins came out beautifully! Today we tried their mac and cheese and were very impressed; I'd love to try freezing some of their meals and seeing how they taste--later!

Mary Poppins Writes {Days 4 & 5}

{Playing with color pencils after supper}

Now you know that I don't typically spend much computer time on Sundays! In consequence, this post is rather picture heavy, so be warned (I'm sure you won't mind, Mummy. :)

Please forgive the disorderly photos, they're a bit mixed up and this post is a wee choppy on account of it!

{He insisted on eating with the ears on, I thought it was pretty cute too!}

After a long night (courtesy of Dom's unaccounted for screaming), Sunday morning was a bit slow but by His grace, we made to out the door, fed, dressed, and ready to worship! I say "by His grace" because that morning, Nicole was pretty hard up for sleep and a dreadful virus went through me and I felt just like Preggers did six months ago! It was definitely a trial to make the zucchini bake for breakfast and I had to have Sophie make the pbj's to take to church, thankfully I had the presence of mind to take a plastic grocery sack in my pocket (yes, I used it). After my "grocery sack episode" I felt so much better and this morning was right as rain. Just to ease myself into eating again, I cooked up some apples, blueberries, a knob of ginger, and a wee bit of coconut oil; it can hardly be called a sauce because I made it kind of chunky (just the way I like it) but it was a wonderful way to start the day. Memories of after my jaw surgery came back but all good things I assure you. :)

{Tomorrow's breakfast, plus slivered almonds, coconut flakes, and flax seeds!}

Tomorrow Nicole and I have nail appointments with my Aunt (at the fun spa she works at!), gotta prepare Preggers twinkle toes for the big day! She's graciously doing mine as well, they really need a good pedi and she is the only person I trust for the job!

When I was a little girl (Can I say that since I'm almost 21?), my Aunt Gaby lived with us for a season and, being the meticulous nail tech at the time, us girls were always well cared for, specifically in that area. I think we were the only girls in our circle of friends who had daisy's on our toes in the summertime. Ever since then she's been very good to make sure we have the best nail equipment and polishes; it's pretty painful but our hands and feet thank us after she's worked on them!

All of that to say that we'll be heading up to Burnet tomorrow to spend the day with my Grandmother and get our nails done. A delectable Asian Chicken salad is on the menu and fresh watermelon (my favorite!); Tita (my Grandmother) generally has some sort of yummy treat on hand, most anything from fresh flour tortillas to tasty gf delights! We're always well fed there.

{Playing with trains after supper, complete with graphic sound effects.}

{The lay of the land before the decluttering battle was fought.}

Today we tackled the largest area on our "To-Do" list; the caution zone that was the Stickies room; the handy dandy trundle bed makes it possible for all three of them to sleep in a room, Sophia graciously sleeps with Dom on the bottom, leaving the top bed for the Wiggle Worm that is Mia. I'll post an after picture later, we still have some rearranging to do. The decluttering bit was a difficult battle; many seven and four-year-old tears were shed and lots of lecturing was done but thankfully Nicole nobly smuggled out some items to be sold in future tag sales (that's New Yorkan for garage sale)--shhh, don't tell anyone!

{Dom wears these when he takes a shower, genius I say.}

In other, less tearful news, Dominic has taken to wearing swimming goggles while he has his bath! Why didn't I think of that when I was two?? Brilliant and very cute--video to come, Nani. "You will die!"

{We've been doing a bit of yoga relaxation before bedtime each night.}

Also before bed, I've taken to giving a wee yoga session to the Stickies, mostly just relaxing stuff; Dom and Mia don't really get the idea of relaxing their facial muscles (meaning, no talking) but Sophie gets it pretty well. They all enjoy it and it's still fun for them to do. :)

{Popcorn and nutritional yeast, baby!}

Mary Poppins Writes {Day3}

{6:37 am} The house was silent and still, not a creature was stirring (not even the roaches), a sleepy sister and aunt, slipped out of bed and as she made her way through the dark,

creaky hallway, she heard the sound of rain (and it wasn't the fishtank either).

In quiet bliss, lit only by the sun peaking through the dripping clouds, the girl carefully flipped open her well-worn Book and began the day with a Psalm, and as she turned the page she heard a rustling from the back of the house,

a Little Man was waking up. Time to start the day.
This morning, Nicole and I managed to whip up breakfast, clothe and nearly feed three sleepy children, and scurry off to our Saturday morning Pilates class! Good thing we were only a few minutes tardy because the room was filled, wall to wall, with pilates mats! The stretching and breathing did everyone good. Afterwards we hopped on over to the library and filled up our bags with bedtime stories (I slipped in a knitting book and a greek cookbook alongside Fancy Nancy and Henry and Mudge).
A snacky lunch of rotisserie chicken, sliced cheese, and watermelon was served and another chapter of The Magician's Nephew was read (we're now in the wood between the worlds) and three sleepy heads were sent straight to bed. Sophie and I finished making these delicious power bars and left the quiet home to go thrifting! If you're ever in Austin, we've found lots of wonderful things at this consignment shop. Sophie was a champ and let me make my rounds, being very helpful too! We didn't find much but that's one of the nice features of thrifting, it always changes so you can usually come back to new inventory!
Thankfully, the house was still has we left it when we flew back home. We were even able to paint Sophia's nails and get in some good knitting and reading time; I really loving having her read to me, she's been putting in such great expressions and even a bit of voices. :)

If you're reading this tonight, I'd encourage you to ponder on this passage in Isaiah 58; it's so refreshing to read as you prepare to worship.

“If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,

from doing your pleasure on my holy day,

and call the Sabbath a delight

and the holy day of the Lord honorable;

if you honor it, not going your own ways,

or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly;

then you shall take delight in the Lord,

and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;

I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,

for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Isaiah 58

Mary Poppins Writes {Day 2}

And she knits too.

It's one of my new favorite patterns and will probably be in my "go-to" stack of one-skein patterns to knit for others; I whipped it out in a few days and it's completely cotton!

{Sleeping Handsome}

Today we checked off our big item shopping list (Costco/H-E-B); I was further convinced of the ease of having an iphone--shopping lists! Nicole has one for each store--it's so organized!

After checking off our lists we had a lovely lunch at the Apodaca's house; Nicole made the best quesadillas for the adults, filled with yummy taco meat, cheese, and lots of spinach (see? they're the best); the stickies had homemade pizza and water keifer.

After eating and romping around at the Apodaca's, we came home and wanted to collapse onto our pillows; as you can see from the above picture, only one of "us" did; Preggers drifted in and out of sleep on the sofa but I wasn't able to upload that picture for some reason...

{See the wonderful benefits of carrots?}

Carrots! They're a wonderful mental stimulant for the sleepy mind!

We each had one while we did our afternoon work; poor Sophie struggled through math but Preggers was very good about pulling her through (Despite gravity gaining hold of her eyelids).

I had the fun job (seriously, preschool work is so easy peasy, lemon squeezy) of helping Mia with her work, cut and paste, baby, cut and paste.

Between giving coloring instructions (color by number) I was finishing up a sweater dress for the bun in the oven, more on that later. :)

{ Ah, yes, I remember these days...}

{Chocolate Almond milk mustache--the best.}

After a wholesome goodness dinner, we gobbled up some ice cream with mini peanut butter chocolate things, and the Stickies--which really were sticky by now--were whisked to the bathtub and scrubbed away.

Tomorrow is pilates in the morning (oh, yes, a wonderful session with our Uncle/Pilates trainer) which I'm really looking forward to, as well as some heavy duty organizing! We have a list and hope to knock some items off.

On a more serious note, I've been finding great encouragement in this passage and this article; I highly encourage you to read both and let me know what your thoughts are!

Mary Poppins Writes {Day 1}

{Emily and I getting a little shut eye after reading The Secret Garden,

yes, it was a wonderful cat nap; no drool was involved and Caro was gracious enough to take a far away picture of the sleeping beauties--thanks Caro!}

Today is my first day here in the Webb home! We've already started reading The Magician's Nephew; I really like to have a "long-term" book to read when I'm here for extended periods of time. Nicole and I set our calendar and schedules (her on her iphone and me on my scrap sheet of notebook paper, that is!) and we have a game plan; meals are set, outings planned, and appointments are scheduled (TMI)! I just hope we don't melt while we're out on the town.

{Emily and I before leaving on this humid, balmy morning}

And you guessed it, another blog series is underway; there will be daily (meaning every 24-hours) posts on my time here, complete with pictures and comments on the day!

Check back each day for a new glimpse! However, patience is required on the days when laundry is piled or people just collapse into bed. : )

{One last goodbye}

Naturally we had to stop at our favorite taqueria before heading to Austin; it's a wonderful place that serves mouth watering breakfast tacos (the best ever!) and they know us by name--a good time all around. If you ever stop by, try to sit with your back against the TV's; it's just Mexican novellas but they're super over dramatic and paints an unrealistic picture of our culture...or perhaps too realistic picture...hm... more on that later!

{Nate the Great before bed}

As I think back on this evening, I am reminded of how wonderfully simple it is to be two:

people kiss you all the time, you never sit in a soiled diaper for too long (right?), you never fend for yourself, and the ladies generally melt when you smile their way.

The only draw back is when you can only find one of your sister's purple, fluffy high heels;

that's just the pits.

I'm really looking forward to this time. : )

Rearranging Home

Our sixth month journey has now come to a finish.

Today we helped with the final packing up and there are only a handful of objects left to move to their new home; we girls have been in a flurry of cleaning and rearranging each room to compensate for the absence of the Hood's belongings (I keep looking around for things I thought we owned, then remembering that it wasn't really ours. :)

Last night I was sharing with a friend how truly bittersweet this time is for us, and it's not just because of the lack of Mr. H's big leather chair in our living room. ;)

I know what you're thinking, it went by pretty fast for me too, yet, at the same time, I feel a bit at a loss as to how to move forward. When they came both of our daily lives changed in their own ways, and at first I wasn't sure what life would look like; now I'm so accustomed to it and they're moving into their own home and again both of our lives have changed in pretty big ways, and again, I'm not quite sure what life will look like. Isn't that funny?

There are a few things that I hope don't change, at least anytime soon.

I hope that I continue managing my time better; it's so easy to let things slide when you have all day long to do them but in the past six months I haven't really had all day! Not perfectly, mind you, but I've seen a change in the way I organize, plan, and execute things.

I hope that we continue to be hard workers; like the above point, we've learned over the past six months the importance of staying on top of household duties. We don't want to live in an "untouchable" home, just a tidy one, and you can't do that when it takes you all day to clean.

I hope that we continue to keep short accounts with each other; when you have little people looking at you for examples, it pushes you to be just that, an example.

I hope that we don't stop going to bed early; it was an 8:30 lights out for the majority of the house, so it seemed kind of pointless to stay up much later than that. That made waking up at the crack of dawn so much easier!

Next week I'll be heading solo to Austin to be with Nicole before, during, and after she has her baby (Dear Houston, don't expect me back until early August); then we'll drive back together and she will stay with us two weeks (in our brand new guest room! Aka, the former Mr. and Mrs. Hood's room). As you can see, this nostalgia shan't last for very long. :)

A while ago I shared some thoughts on the first few weeks of having the Hood's living with us, then there wasn't really much of anything until now! I can assure you that it's not for lack of material, rather mentally processing all that I've learned in the past six months, praise the Lord, there was much sanctification; the majority of it were things that we as a family wouldn't have seen or know had not another pair of eyes and hears been privy to our daily lives!

I'm so grateful for the time spent with them and the blessing of seeing what the Lord has done in both of our lives. Praise His for His faithfulness.

But whatever gain I had,

I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the

surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things

and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain

Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness

of my own that comes from the law,

but that which comes through faith in Christ...

Philippians 3

{Picture Credit}

Blessings...

This song has been one of a recent favorite. Not really because of the tune or vocal parts, but the lyrics. They really are beautiful. :)

Blessings

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

-Laura Story (2011)